Darning-bulb.



J. CUNNINGHAM.

DARNING BULB.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I7. 1917.

Patented Apr. 2,1918.

I/M/I [mm/727m WITNESSES ATTORNEY JOHN CUNNINGHAM, OF WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

DARNING-BULB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed December 17, 1917. Serial No. 207,605.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN CUNNINGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkes-Barre, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Darning-Bulbs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to darning bulbs and the object thereof is to provide a bulb of this character so constructed that breakage of the needle is prevented and a neat, smooth darn insured which may be accomplished in much less time than with the old style wooden darning bulbs.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the in vention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without depart ing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a bulb constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a detail partly in section showing a slightly different form of the invention.

In the embodiment illustrated, a bulb 1 is shown spherical in shape, although obviously it may be ovate if found desirable and which is composed of two hollon sections 2 and 3, the inner section 3 being constructed preferably of rigid material, such as metal or the like, and having a handle 4 fixed thereto, said handle being here shown made integral therewith. This handle 4: may be of any desired construction. The section 3 is provided at its free edge around the perimeter thereof with a groove 5 on its inner facewhich is designed to receive an annular bead 6 carried by the edge of section 2 on its outer face so that when assembled these two sections will have a clencher-like joint connecting them, similar to that used for connecting a clencher tire to a vehicle wheel.

The section 2 is composed of any soft springy material preferably of rubber sufficiently hard to retain its shape during the darning operation and yet yieldable enough to permit it to conform to the shape of the object being darned. This section has an aperture 7 therein to prevent its remaining in collapsed position when an indentation has been made therein. It will thus be seen that by so constructing this bulb, the section 2 will be presented to the article to be darned and the needle used for darning will not have its point broken by contact with a hard object of which the bulbs now in use are constructed and which is a great objection thereto. Moreover, by making this section 2 of yieldable material, it will conform to the shape of the object being darned and thereby insure a smooth, even darning of the hole in the sock or other article being darned.

In Fig. 3 a slightly different form of the invention is shown, the lower section 3 of the bulb being shown made of solid material and the handle l being detachably connected therewith, having a reduced threaded extension 8 at its inner end which is designed to engage a correspondingly threaded socket in section 3 and has a shoulder 9 at the base of said extension against which the section 3 ablltS when the parts are in assembled position.

A head 10 is preferably formed at the outer free end of the handle of the bulb to assist the operator in holding the bulb in adjusted position, preventing slipping off of the hand from its end of the device.

From the foregoingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

I claim 1. A darning bulb composed of two semispherical hollow sections, one having a groove on its inner face adjacent the edge thereof and the other a bead on its outer face for interlocking engagement with the groove of the other section, one of said sections being composed of yieldable shape re-v ment to detachably connect the sections, ne of said sections having a handle extending radially therefre n, and the other sect-ion compesed of yieldable material and having an. aperfiu-fe therein. I

i In testimbny whereof 'I aflix myBignature in presence of two Witnesses.

@HN GUNNINGHAM.

Titnesses:

ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM,

RI HARD M. CUNNINGHAM, 7

601956211 at this patent may baobtainexlfor five cents eec1 ,..by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. Q. 

